Hogarth Hughes
Hogarth Hughes is the main protagonist of the 1999 animated science fiction film ''The Iron Giant'', voiced by Eli Marienthal. He is an adventurous boy who acts as The Iron Giant's friend and mentor, while trying to protect him from the authorities. Official Warner Bros. Website :An energetic, curious nine year-old with an active imagination, Hogarth truly is the "luckiest kid in America" after discovering the Iron Giant in his backyard. He quickly befriends the Giant, teaches him to speak and tries to satisfy his insatiable appetite for metal while hiding him from his mother, the townspeople and the government. Hogarth becomes best friend and unlikely guardian to the 50-foot Giant as he teaches him about heroes and what it truly means to be human. Hogarth himself learns something valuable in the process. Personality Growing up in 1957, in Rockwell, Maine, Hogarth is a pretty average kid; he is energetic, curious, and adventurous, however he is also unusually smart for his age. Growing up alone with his widowed mother, Hogarth spends much of his time exploring the woods and trying to find "pets" that he can be friends with, since he tends to be and outcast in school. His boundless energy and adventurous attitude, generally causes him to get himself in trouble however, as his own exploration causes him to discover the Giant in the woods, putting his life at risk in the process. Aside from his imaginative and inquisitive side however, Hogarth has a very brave and intelligent side as well. At nine years old, Hogarth has already moved up a grade and is bullied by the older kids at schools as a result. Hogarth himself exhibits a surprising amount of maturity and intellect, as he already has a deep understanding of the people, likely stemming from losing his father to war. He himself, acting as the giant's father, teaches the child-like Giant humanity and the concept of an inner soul, essentially teaching the giant that he posses both the potential for great good and for horrible destruction. In a sense, it is his own personality that shapes the person the Iron Giant becomes. Hogarth is also very confident in his own judgement and very headstrong, often not listen to others orders and does what he believes is right instead, even if it means jeopardizes his own safety. When the Giant is most dangerous, Hogarth still approaches him to try and bring him back to his senses, putting his life at risk in the process. Hogarth is also shown to be a fan of Superman, Mad Magazine, The Spirit when he shows the Giant the comics that he likes. Physical appearance As a young nine-year-old boy, Hogarth is relatively small and lean compared to other kids to his school. Role in Film A Visit to the Diner Soon after the hurricane has passed and Rockwell's shoreline is beginning to recover from the storm, Hogarth is first seen riding his bicycle down the street toward the Chat n' Chew Diner with a green shoebox, before parking his bike on the curb at the restraints front. Entering the diner with the box in arm, Hogarth is quickly beckoned to the bar by his mother, Annie, who works as a waitress at the establishment. As she continuous to work, Hogarth is pleased to tell her of the new pet he has found, however his mother is adamant that there be no pets in their home despite his pleading, since they ruin the upholstery, and Hogarth tends to set them free. She is unwilling to accept a pet until Hogarth begs her to at least look at the animal, to which she complies sympathetically although reluctantly. To Hogarth surprise however, the "pet" (a squirrel) has escaped out of the shoebox and into the diner. Nervously, he informs his mother he will "go get" it and starts looking below the tables and stools of the diner, before seeing it run under the table of a man with a newspaper. Hogarth tries multiple times to get the man's attention and instead discovers that he is sleeping and has just woken up, as a result of his actions. While Hogarth is busy explaining that the squirrel is under his table, their conversation is interrupted by a rather loud story by a local fisherman at a near by table about an "invader from mars" that crashed into the sea. While the other men laugh at the story, Hogarth and the man he has just met support the fisherman's story, and Hogarth even wants to go looking for the object. However their conversation is once again broken when Hogarth mother arrives and ask if Hogarth is bothering him. Introducing himself as Dean, rather erratically, the two are left alone again, and Dean informs Hogarth that the squirrel is in his pants. Although Hogarth pleads that he doesn't "wig out", Dean releases the squirrel into the diner, resulting in chaos that causes Annie to be displeased with both of them. Currently not in use In 1957, nine-year-old Hogarth lives with his widowed mother, Annie, who works at a local diner and is trying to make ends meet after Hogarth's father (who was never seen or mentioned in the movie) passed away a few months before the events of the movie. Hogarth is also a fan of Superman, Mad Magazine and The Spirit. At the diner one day, Hogarth overhears a fisherman talking about an "invader from Mars" that came crashing down to Earth. That night, while investigating that the TV antenna was bitten off, Hogarth sets out to discover this "invader" and finds a 50-foot-tall robot which has a huge appetite for anything metallic. When the giant gets tangled in electric wires, Hogarth saves him from electrocution. With the help of a beatnik named Dean, Hogarth helps hide the giant in his junkyard. Later, when Kent Mansley tries to destroy the giant, Hogarth gets knocked unconscious in the pursuit. The giant mistakes this for his death and snaps at the government, turning into a deadly war machine. When Hogarth recovers, he is able to calm down the giant, telling him "you are who you choose to be." Kent orders the USS Nautilus to launch a nuclear missile at the giant soon after. But the giant, saying goodbye to Hogarth, takes off into the sky and intercepts the missile to save the town of Rockwell from nuclear destruction acting like Superman. Sometime later, a memorial statue has been dedicated to the giant that Dean (now Hogarth's stepfather) constructed at the park, and Hogarth recieves the only piece of debris recovered from the explosion, a jaw bolt. That night, when the bolt starts to move on its own, Hogarth lets it roll into the countryside. In the Langjokull glacier in Iceland, the giant starts reassembling itself in the final scene of the movie. In the movie, Hogarth is voiced by Eli Marienthal. He usually wears a red black sweater with a T-shirt over it, with blue pants and red and white sneakers. Memorable quotes *(after learning that the TV antenna was bitten off) Come on! Stupid antenna! *''(after finding the giant in the forest)'' Wow. My own giant robot. I am now the luckiest kid in America! This is unbelievable. This is the greatest discovery since...I don't know...television or something! *So we can't call Ripley's Believe It or Not because, well...they wouldn't believe it. *Welcome to downtown Coolsville! Population...us! *Well...goodbye. (Hogarth starts walking away, the Giant follows him) No, no. Me go, you stay. No following. Good. (Hogarth walks away, the Giant still follows him) I TOLD YOU! I'll come back tomorrow! NOW STAY! (Hogarth walks away and the Giant still follows him) NO, NO, NO! BAD ROBOT! *''(after seeing the giant repair itself)'' Wow! You can fix yourself? Neat-o! *You are who you choose to be. *''(after the government leaves Dean's junkyard)'' Bye, Kent, and all that implies. *If you're gonna stay here.... you gotta keep better track of yourself. *Anyway, I thought you'd like, you know, a bedtime story or something. I've got some really cool ones. Mad Magazine, very funny. The Spirit, very cool. Boy's Life ? Oh, here. This guy is Superman. Sure, he's famous now... ...but he started off just like you. Crash-landed on Earth. Didn't know what he was doing. But he only uses his powers for good, never for evil. Remember that. (born March 18, 1948 in Rockwell, Maine) Category:Characters Category:Major Characters